Is there a particular area of that exam you are having trouble with? To pass EC's exams you have to pass all areas of the exam. For instance, NC4 is 25% cardiac, 25% respiratory, 40% abnormal cell growth, and 10% congenital anomalies. If someone does well on the first three but does not pass the last, s/he fails the whole exam. Look at your weak areas on the printout you should have received at Pearsonvue when you finished your exam. You may have passed most areas but failed in one.
Are you using Excelsior's practice exams or the ones included in some publishing companies' (such as The College Network) study modules? I have seen those and they are not like EC's exams. Some of EC's practice exams have the exact same questions as the actual exam. The practice questions gave me a good idea of what to focus on, and I also found it very helpful to read their rationales to correct and incorrect answers, as this sometimes gave answers to other questions.
I don't recall all areas that NC1 covers, but I do remember the nursing process, safety and medication administration. A good fundamentals textbook to read is Fundamentals of Nursing (7th Ed.) by Barbara Kozier. Best of Luck in your studies.
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